The last of the bills passed by the 2013 General Assembly finally arrived on Governor Chafee's desk -- and he vetoed it.

Katherine Gregg Journal Political Writer kathyprojo

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The last of the bills passed by the 2013 General Assembly finally arrived on Governor Chafee's desk -- and he vetoed it.

Introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Michael McCaffrey on behalf of the Rhode Island State Police, the bill would have exempted drivers of "authorized emergency vehicle(s)'' from having to wear seat belts.

In his veto message, Chafee said: "Seatbelts save lives. While I recognize the necessity for critical personnel to act quickly in the event of an emergency, I am concerned that what we may gain in response time may be lost in increased injuries to Rhode Island's emergency responders.''

Chafee said the bill was also too broadly worded. "In order to codify such an extraordinary measure, it should apply to a small number of people and be narrowly tailored for specific circumstances.''

The governor's office said no more bills are expected from the General Assembly session that ended on July 3.